Agriculture & Food Updates

Horticulture: Conference will explore opportunities for organic vegetable growers….

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, and Minister of State for Forestry, Horticulture and Farm Safety, Michael Healy-Rae TD, have announced a conference on Commercial Market Opportunities in Organic Vegetable Production 2025.

Senator Victor Boyhan, a member of the Seanad Agricultural Panel welcomed the Ministers support for the horticultural sector and the importance of this conference in promoting diversification into organic vegetable production and has urge growers and those seek to go into organic production to take this opportunity for guidance, support a explore new opportunities.

“It’s an uncertain time for horticultural and many growers are considering their options to stay or leave the vegetable and fruit production because of costs and cheap imports”.

“Seventy per cent of the organic vegetables currently purchased in Ireland are imported. The National Organic Strategy seeks to build on the aim of the Horticulture Strategy for import substitution.

Senator Boyhan said that the target to reduce imports of organic vegetables to less than 50% by 2030 would be challenging and called for greater supports from the department of Agriculture, to ensure these targets could be realistically achieved.

“The purpose of this conference is to hear from existing growers about the practical requirements of growing vegetables, and to allow buyers to outline the opportunities that exist to replace imports with Irish-grown vegetables – production costs and retailers demands will be challenging” cautioned Senator Boyhan

The conference will highlight the growing opportunities within the organic vegetable production sector and will set out the training and financial supports that are available to growers.

The event will also present a one-stop opportunity for those interested in diversifying their horticultural enterprise to engage with leading sectoral experts and to learn more about market opportunities from those within the sector. The opportunities for diversification for existing conventional growers, as well as the prospects for new growers, will form a key part of event.

The National Strategy for Horticulture and Food Vision 2030 seeks to provide a road map for the horticulture industry to ensure the future economic, social, and environmental sustainability of the sector, this will be the central theme of the conference.

Department of Agriculture and Food Conference: “Commercial Market Opportunities in Organic Vegetable Production 2025

Venue: Auditorium, Backweston, Co. Kildare

Date: Monday 17th February 2025

Time: 10 am – 4.30pm

AGENDA

• 10 am – 10.30 am Ministers Welcome/Opening
• 10.30 am – 11 am Support Grants available/OPIG/Horticulture/OFS/Tams
• 11 am – 11.20 am Diversification through Protective Cropping (Jim Cronin)
• 11.20 am – 11.40 am Coffee Break
• 11.40 am – 12 pm Growing at Field Scale (John Hogan)
• 12 am – 12.15pm Q&A with Jim and John
• 12.15 pm – 1 pm Panel Discussion (Education/Training/Advisory) (John Mulhern, Mary Lynch, Una Wycherley, and Sean McGloin)
• 1 pm – 1.45 pm Lunch
• 1.45 pm – 2.15 pm Irish Market Update (Bord Bia)
• 2.15 pm – 3 pm Panel Discussion (Marketing) (Carmel Biggane, Paul Begley, Kenneth Keavey,)
• 3 pm – 4.30 pm Networking and Breakout sessions

ENDS